Indicator for locating sunken vessels.



PATENTED-MAY '26, 190B. J. LONG,.T. E. KNIGHT an W. JUDD.

INDICATOR FORLOGATING SUNK-EN VESSELS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 00T. 17. 1907. n

WTNESSES nu' Nouk/s Psrsns co.. wAsHlNawN. n, c

UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

JOSEPH LONG, THOMAS E. KNIGHT, AND WALTER JUDD, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA; SAID LONG ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO OLIVER W. OBARR, OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY,

CALIFORNIA.

INDICATOR FOR LOCATING SUNKEN VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, JOSEPH LONG, THOMAS E. KNIGHT, and WALTER JUDD, of Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Locating Sunken Vessels, and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improved indicator of the location of sunken vessels, its object being to provide a simple and efficient device for permanent attachment to the deck of a vessel, which in the event of the sinking of the vessel, will correctly locate its position and thus permit of the recovery of the cargo and possibly of the vessel itself. I/Vith this object in view our invention consists in the several features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section and Fig. 3 shows the device when performing its function of locating a sunken vessel.

A represents a base plate which may be made of Wood 0r metal and which is designed to be fastened to the upper deck of a vessel at any convenient point. B is a float compartment or casing made of iron or other metal and permanently secured at its lower end to the base A. Encircling the lower end of compartment B is an annular flange 'O over which fits the cover D. A float E pref- 1 erably made of steel and conical or tapered in form is adapted to fit within the compartment B, and to be covered and protected from the weather by the cover D. To the bottom of float E is attached one end of a flexible steel line F, the main portion of which is coiled within the bottom of compartment B, the lower end of the line being passed through the vertical slot G in cornpartment B and slot G1 in the flange surrounding the same, and extended to some point on the lower deck or hull of the vessel to which it is firmly secured.

In the event of the sinking of the vessel,`

the slots in the compartment and surrounding fiange will afford a ready admission of water beneath the cover and fioat and insure Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 17, 1907.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 397,907.

the prompt detachment of the cover and the prompt separation of the ffoat from its compartment or casing. -As the vessel sinks, the buoyancy of the float will be sufficient to sustain it upon the surface of the water, and canse the line to unreel from the coil in the compartment B, and in the event the upper deck should separate from the lower deck which frequently happens, the lower end of the line being fastened to the lower deck and being permitted to pass through the slot" in compartment B, would still serve to retain the buoy in position over the wreck so as to indicate its position.

The device is extremely simple in its construction can be manufactured at a comparatively small cost; is readily attached to the deck of a vessel at any convenient point, and owing to the fact that it permits one end of the line to be attached to the float and the other end to the lower deck of the vessel, it insures the operation of the device notwithstanding that the upper deck may separate and-float off from the lower deck or hull of the vessel.

As it is evident that the construction of our device may be quite widely varied as to form, material and its arrangement of parts we would have it understood that we do not limit our invention to the articular construction shown and describec', but,

Having fully described our invention what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination with the compartment or casing having an elongated slot open at its upper end, of a buoy, a line passing through said slot` and having one end attached to the buoy and the other end attachable to a vessel, and a cover fitting over the compartment and buoy and having a hole for the passage of the rope and for the ingress of water, substantially as set forth. l

2. The combination with the buoy compartment or casing and an annular flange encircling the same, each being provided with a slot for the passage of a line, of a buoy, and a line having one end attached to the buoy and the other extending through the slot in the compartment or casing, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a hollow support having a vertical open-ended slot, of a buoy normally mounted thereon, a wall surrounding said support and spaced therefrom, said wall having a vertical open slot, and a line specification in the presence of two subseribl0 normally coiled in the space between the holing witnesses.

low support and surrounding wall, one end of said line passing through the slot in the support and secured to the buoy, and the other end of the line passing through the slot in the surrounding wall and adapted for attachment 1 ,Witnesses2 to a vessel. EDWARD J. RYAN,

In testimony whereof, we have signed this i HERMAN B. ENSIGN.

JOSEPH LONG. THOMAS E. KNIGHT. WALTER JUDD. 

